Tetratec 1200 Vs Fluval Fx5

[aqua monster]

Hi people which one of these filters would you go for and why...? keeping in mind im going to be useing it on a 5ft cichlid tank....

Tetratec 1200 or the Fluval FX5

 

[kaivalagi]

I am using 2 x ex1200 in my 5ft cichlid tank, good filter, no complaints.

The fx5 is a bigger filter with a higher flow rate but it costs more, it is well recommended though.

Both are good filters IMHO

I think it really comes down to the money you are willing to spend and the flow rate you want. I am running 2 filters for a good reason, I get good flow rate along the whole tank and I have redundancy in case a filter does go wrong.

 

[arobinson1984]

Rather than the tetratec ex1200, you'd be better looking at the ex2400 model, higher flow rate than the fluval fx5 and available at the same price as the fx5 from warehouse aquatics


Andy

 

[Davo86]

Hi people which one of these filters would you go for and why...? keeping in mind im going to be useing it on a 5ft cichlid tank....

Tetratec 1200 or the Fluval FX5

For a 5ft cichlid tank I would go for two Ex1200s at the very least; one FX5 and a EX1200 would give similar results to what i have on my 5ft cichlid setup atm)

Also two Ex1200s give you less running costs than running a FX5 or an EX1200 and would probably cost around the same to buy.

 

[aqua monster]

I will be using 2 filters... would 2 EX 2400 be too much for a 5ft tank and would there be a big differents between running 2 EX 1200 than 2 EX 2400

 

[raptorrex]

I will be using 2 filters... would 2 EX 2400 be too much for a 5ft tank and would there be a big differents between running 2 EX 1200 than 2 EX 2400

I dont really think you can consider less than 2x "2400's" (and i would suggest that as a, minimum). from tests, it seems, the FX5 will pump more than 2x the flow of a 2400.

 

[aqua monster]

So i would be better off going with 2 FX 5's

 

[kaivalagi]

What are the exact dimensions, I have a 5ft tank using 2 x ex1200's and it's fine because it is 18" deep and 20" tall in water, so I get a decent enough turn over for approx 350L...if the tank is 24" deep then you may want to consider beefier filters than the ex1200 to get a higher turnover as mentioned above. I have been running 2 x ex1200's on my tank for a couple of months and have no issues, they do a good job. I guess it also depends on how heavy you will plant the tank, more plants would at a guess mean you need a bit more flow to make sure all areas of the tank get water circulated well...

Also, there are these much cheaper pond solutions filters that look like tetratec copies, they provide around 2000lph each, they are £75 each and would be a good cheap alternative. They also have built in UV...http/www.allpondso...-uv-1216-0.html
Worth a look I'd say, star4 uses them on some of her tanks and can't praise them enough. See here: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/331578-fx5-the-truth-lets-hear-it/

One other thing, the FX5 comes with ribbed hosing I think, which is a bad move IMHO. The hosing can't be cut to fit an external heater or UV unit without the need for expensive hose adapters or replacing the hosing with the standard stuff. This is one of the reasons I didn't go for one, that and the cost. They are very good filters apart from this though

 

[waterdrop]

Another factor you might want to weigh would be noise. All of these are big motors and will potentially be putting out a lot of mechanical noise from under your cabinet but there can still be big differences between the actual products. Obviously, this might be a factor if this were a living room display, but not a factor if the tank is for your fish room or basement setup or such.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[kaivalagi]

Very true, I confirm the tetratec filters are nice and quiet i.e. I can't hear both my ex1200's at all when in a cabinet...I think the same has been said for the FX5's...but I don't have first hand experience of them.

 

[waterdrop]

I have read posts that all the giant eheims, the big TT2400s etc. are a significant increase in hum, but that the FX5 is even a bit more, given its huge mechanism. Its the smaller eheim pro models that are usually considered hard to match in silence, part of where they got their rolls-royce reputation from I think.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[shelaghfishface]

I have read posts that all the giant eheims, the big TT2400s etc. are a significant increase in hum, but that the FX5 is even a bit more, given its huge mechanism. Its the smaller eheim pro models that are usually considered hard to match in silence, part of where they got their rolls-royce reputation from I think.

~~waterdrop~~

i was just going to say the same thing.. ive never used one for that very reason.. noise- so ive heard anyway.. dont actually know anyone that runs one

 

[kaivalagi]

I hear more noise from my internal U3 filter in my roma 125 in the bedroom than my 2 ex1200's in a cabinet in the living room...that's with no background noise in both cases either

edit: One think we didn't suggest here either is the use of power heads, in theory a powerhead in this tank would mean there is a lesser requirement for such high flow rates...just a thought

 

[aqua monster]

Hi people the tank is the juwel vision 450....there will be no plants in the tank just rocks and may be some wood...

 

[raptorrex]

Another factor you might want to weigh would be noise. All of these are big motors and will potentially be putting out a lot of mechanical noise from under your cabinet but there can still be big differences between the actual products. Obviously, this might be a factor if this were a living room display, but not a factor if the tank is for your fish room or basement setup or such.

~~waterdrop~~

I know that's true of the TT2400's. but the Eheim 2080's, make little or no extra sound. however this could be because of their placement.

I have to agree on the Fluval "ribbed" hoses. but, all round, that detracts little from the FX5's worth.

for a 450l tank i would suggest 1xfx5 and 1xex2400. or a Eheim 2080 plus an ex2400. that makes the Ehein, combo, flow a bit less than the FX/ex. but the eheim is said to have better bio filtration. this should take up any slack.

to answer the OP's question. YES 2x FX5 would be a fine system for your tank.